Pelican Dreams

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Audience Member So engrossing and lovely. No anthropomorphizing here, just these awkward, graceful, tenacious birds. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I liked The Parrots of Telegraph Hill better, but this is really good too, especially if you like birds. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member At a brisk 80 minutes, "Pelican Dreams," the lovely new documentary film by Judy Irving ( "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill") hardly overstays it welcome. With beautiful shots (especially the high-resolution slow-motion footage, both above and underwater) of wild pelicans at work and play, the film treats us to stunning scenes from the lives of these once-endangered birds (courtesy of DDT dumping in the 1950s and 1960s) who now face new environmental threats because of climate change. At times heartbreaking (especially when we meet injured birds in captivity), and at other times heartwarming (when those same birds fly away), the movie is a moving tribute not only to the birds but to the people who care for them. The film should appeal to all who care about about animal life on our planet. That said, the movie is not perfect. I did not enjoy Judy Irving's voiceover; in fact, I often found it irritating and completely unnecessary. Better to let the beauty of the birds and the voices of the experts tell the story, rather than interrupt our revery with musings on whether or not birds dream. I loved Irving's "Wild Parrots" - in which she refrained from such excessive commentary - but as she announces at the start of her new film, she has always felt a personal connection with pelicans (unlike with parrots), and so we get what we get. I was also not a big of the film's soundtrack, by Bruce Kaphan, which I found as similarly intrusive as the voiceover. So be it. Together they are a small price to pay for the joy of watching pelicans frolic. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Saw Pelican Dreams at its world premier in Bellingham, Washington with the creator Judy Irving and husband Mark Bittner present. A moving, well-told tale of the pelican life. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member The filmmaker's narration is sometimes too precious and self-involved but, thankfully, doesn't intrude too often into a slight documentary with occasional beautiful imagery. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member I love this film. It makes you wonder at the beauty of Cali. The neutralness of the Pelican experts is refreshing. A great job making this FILM! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Pelican Dreams

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